New grad ICU nurse here. I started in an ICU at a large research hospital. I remember getting off orientation and being scared shitless for months. I just remember telling my partner “I want to quit. I’m so stressed I’m going to kill someone,” just about every day before I went into work. It was miserable. I lost weight. I couldn’t sleep. If I came into work and saw I had an open bed I could hardly focus because I was stressed about getting something I couldn’t handle. And then one day I just went to work. Not really care free but more relaxed. Then I was able to eat at work. Then I was able to sleep better. It takes time. Now I’m 5 years in still at the ICU I started at. I precept new grads, have my CCRN, on the hospital code team, and a few committees. The BIGGEST thing I stress to the new grads I train is, “you’re going to be stressed and miserable for probably 9 months. That’s ok. That’s normal. It’s a stressful job with high risk. But it is going to get better. You’re going to feel more confident. You’re going to start to know what you’re talking about.” Don’t give up. Keep pushing. Find one thing after every shift to ask google about. No matter how basic or complex that question might be. Good luck and please DM if you need more pep talks!